National Environmental (Quarrying and Blasting Operations) Regulations, 2013. S.I. no. 33/2013.

The purpose of these Regulations, made under the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act, is to control the effects of quarrying and blasting operations on the environment and human health, in order to: prevent environmental degradation and the contamination of surface and ground water, ensure the use of environmental-friendly technologies, encourage the protection of the ecosystem, prevent air and noise pollution, avoid any obstruction of the natural drainage channel. According to the Regulations, the activity of quarrying and blasting shall be conducted using environmental-friendly technologies and shall comply with the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays-principle.
Matters covered by the Regulations include: definition of quarrying operation plan; guidelines for quarrying operations, including: compensation for ecological destruction, health and safety measures, air and noise pollution control, environmental management plan; definition of blasting operation plan and related guidelines; definition of post quarrying plan, including: restoration of land, control of stagnant water pools, socio-economic and ecological responsibilities; permits, offences and penalties; definition of relevant terms, including: act of blasting, borehole, ecosystem, effluent, emission, environmental degradation, incidental blasting, quarry, restoration, solid waste, water body.